Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF ) Freely available
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Vanderzwalmen, P.
Right arrow Articles by Schoysman, R.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Vanderzwalmen, P.
Right arrow Articles by Schoysman, R.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Human Reproduction, Vol. 13, No. suppl_4, pp. 71-84, 1998
© 1998 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology

Is there a future for spermatid injections?

P. Vanderzwalmen1,4, M. Nijs1, A. Stecher2, H. Zech2, G. Bertin1, B. Lejeune1, B. Vandamme1, A. Chatziparasidou3, Y. Prapas3 and R. Schoysman1

1 Schoysman Infertility Management Foundation Vaartsraat 42, 1800 Vilvoorde, Belgium 2 Institüt für In vitro Fertilisierung und Embryo Transfer Bregenz, Austria 3 University Clinic of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hippocration General Hospital Thessaloniki, Greece

Correspondence: 4To whom correspondence should be addressed

Microinjection of spermatids into oocytes has proven to be a successful assisted reproduction procedure in the animal model. In the human, low fertilization and cleavage to the 4-cell stage were reported after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) with round spermatids. In comparison with a conventional ICSI–testicular sperm extraction (TESE) programme, the implantation rate after round spermatid injection is dramatically low. Different problems have been encountered during the development of the spermatid injection technique and they could be partially responsible for the lower outcome when using round spermatids. Compared with the round spermatid cells, spermatids in the elongation phase are easy to isolate and identify from other round cells present in a wet preparation. The morphological identification does not reveal anything about the viability or the genetic normality of the round spermatids. Severe testicular dysfunction may have consequences on the quality of the few spermatogenic cells present. Others factors, such as the pathology of the patient, play an important role in the successful treatment. Even if the results are extremely low, spermatid injection seems more favourable for men who have already proven their capacity to produce some spermatozoa. A spermatogenic block at the round spermatid level has led to early abortions, increasing the suspicion of the role of a genetic factor. In order for this technique to be safe for use in clinics, more intensive work is needed to improve the selection and handling of cells and to ascertain the genomic imprinting and gene expression necessary for embryonic development. Hence, when using immature cells for conception, the screening of the patient and the follow-up of the pregnancies and babies should be mandatory.

Key words: male infertility/oocyte activation/spermatid identification/spermatid injection/spermatogenic arrest


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.